Crosier mission in Butembo in the Congo, plans to raise funds for new school

Crosier Friends,

In 2020 the Crosier Fathers and Brothers will celebrate 100 years of Religious Life and ministry in Congo. As we approach this milestone and begin a new century of service, our dream is to build a K–12 Catholic school in Butembo on a parcel of land owned by the Crosiers.

Left is the artist’s rendering of the new school in Butembo, which will accommodate 1,600 students in 30 classrooms (55 students per classroom is standard in Congo). The school will also include a library, computer resource room, office space, and restrooms. There will be an outdoor space where students can play basketball and volleyball.

Our goal to build this new school in Butembo is to raise one million dollars.

The Crosier Fathers and Brothers are finding new life in Congo. We arrived in Congo in 1920 and today there are 113 priests, brothers and seminarians serving in this African mission.

As we approach a century of Religious Life and ministry in Congo, our dream is to build a new Crosier K–12 Catholic school in Butembo. This school will serve 1,600 children, both elementary and high school students. We believe that all children deserve a quality school where they can thrive and become productive members of society.

Since there is no school near the Crosier Priory in Butembo, children in the area walk great distances to attend school each day, some as many as 10 miles. Seeing the need for a local school, the Crosiers approached the people to determine their interest in supporting a new school. While the Congolese people are not able to provide the finances for the building materials, they will contribute their labor to the building of the school by clearing and preparing the site, digging the foundation, mixing concrete, and hauling bricks, lumber and other building materials.

We Crosiers seek to transform lives and touch suffering with hope. As the Congolese people emerge from decades of war and conflict, this new K–12 Catholic school in Butembo will be a beacon of light for them. It will provide children with the opportunity to learn how to end the cycle of poverty in their lives and promote a culture of peace, reconciliation and forgiveness.

The Crosiers in Congo are almost totally dependent on the generosity of others for support. We cannot continue to serve the Congolese people without your financial help.

We invite you to partner with us in building this new K–12 Catholic school for the children of Butembo. The school will:

Provide a quality Catholic education for the 1,600 children living near the Crosier Priory.

Help to reduce the delinquency of youth by helping them move towards the future with confidence and optimism.

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Crosier Info

We are Crosiers – a union of Christian men who will to live and work in a community to keep the Gospel alive and proclaimed. At more than 800 years old, we are one of the oldest Roman Catholic religious orders of priests and brothers.

The name Crosier is derived from the French word croisés—signed with the cross. We bear the crusader cross on our habit as a sign of our devotion to the Paschal Mystery of Christ’s passion, death and resurrection.

There are more than 400 Crosiers today worldwide. We have two large, vibrant communities in the United States–one in Phoenix, Arizona, and the other in Onamia, Minnesota.